1 L isten, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,

I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter riddles from of old,

3 W hich we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.

Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us:

4 W e will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.

We will not hide from their sons, shewing forth to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, and his strength, and his marvellous works which he hath done.

5 F or He established a testimony in Jacob And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers That they should teach them to their children,

For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;

6 T hat the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children,

That the generation to come might know, the children that should be born; that they might rise up and tell to their children,

7 T hat they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,

And that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but observe his commandments;

8 A nd not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that prepared not their heart, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

9 T he sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows, Yet they turned back in the day of battle.

The sons of Ephraim, armed bowmen, turned back in the day of battle.

10 T hey did not keep the covenant of God And refused to walk in His law;

They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;

11 T hey forgot His deeds And His miracles that He had shown them.

And forgot his doings, and his marvellous works which he had shewn them.

12 H e wrought wonders before their fathers In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

In the sight of their fathers had he done wonders, in the land of Egypt, the field of Zoan.

13 H e divided the sea and caused them to pass through, And He made the waters stand up like a heap.

He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through; and made the waters to stand as a heap;

14 T hen He led them with the cloud by day And all the night with a light of fire.

And he led them with a cloud in the daytime, and all the night with the light of fire.

15 H e split the rocks in the wilderness And gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths.

He clave rocks in the wilderness, and gave drink as out of the depths, abundantly;

16 H e brought forth streams also from the rock And caused waters to run down like rivers.

And he brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 Y et they still continued to sin against Him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert.

Yet they still went on sinning against him, provoking the Most High in the desert;

18 A nd in their heart they put God to the test By asking food according to their desire.

And they tempted God in their heart, by asking meat for their lust;

19 T hen they spoke against God; They said, “ Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

And they spoke against God: they said, Is God able to prepare a table in the wilderness?

20 “ Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, And streams were overflowing; Can He give bread also? Will He provide meat for His people?”

Behold, he smote the rock, and waters gushed out, and streams overflowed; is he able to give bread also, or provide flesh for his people?

21 T herefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath; And a fire was kindled against Jacob And anger also mounted against Israel,

Therefore Jehovah heard, and was wroth; and fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also went up against Israel:

22 B ecause they did not believe in God And did not trust in His salvation.

Because they believed not in God, and confided not in his salvation;

23 Y et He commanded the clouds above And opened the doors of heaven;

Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of the heavens,

24 H e rained down manna upon them to eat And gave them food from heaven.

And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them the corn of the heavens.

25 M an did eat the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.

Man did eat the bread of the mighty; he sent them provision to the full.

26 H e caused the east wind to blow in the heavens And by His power He directed the south wind.

He caused the east wind to rise in the heavens, and by his strength he brought the south wind;

27 W hen He rained meat upon them like the dust, Even winged fowl like the sand of the seas,

And he rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered fowl as the sand of the seas,

28 T hen He let them fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their dwellings.

And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations:

29 S o they ate and were well filled, And their desire He gave to them.

And they did eat, and were well filled; for that they lusted after, he brought to them.

30 B efore they had satisfied their desire, While their food was in their mouths,

They were not alienated from their lust, their meat was yet in their mouths,

31 T he anger of God rose against them And killed some of their stoutest ones, And subdued the choice men of Israel.

When the anger of God went up against them; and he slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

32 I n spite of all this they still sinned And did not believe in His wonderful works.

For all this, they sinned still, and believed not in his marvellous works;

33 S o He brought their days to an end in futility And their years in sudden terror.

And he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.

34 W hen He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God;

When he slew them, then they sought him, and returned and sought early after God;

35 A nd they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer.

And they remembered that God was their rock, and God, the Most High, their redeemer.

36 B ut they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue.

But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied unto him with their tongue;

37 F or their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.

For their heart was not firm toward him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.

38 B ut He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath.

But he was merciful: he forgave the iniquity, and destroyed not; but many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his fury:

39 T hus He remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passes and does not return.

And he remembered that they were flesh, a breath that passeth away and cometh not again.

40 H ow often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness And grieved Him in the desert!

How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

41 A gain and again they tempted God, And pained the Holy One of Israel.

And they turned again and tempted God, and grieved the Holy One of Israel.

42 T hey did not remember His power, The day when He redeemed them from the adversary,

They remembered not his hand, the day when he delivered them from the oppressor,

43 W hen He performed His signs in Egypt And His marvels in the field of Zoan,

How he set his signs in Egypt, and his miracles in the field of Zoan;

44 A nd turned their rivers to blood, And their streams, they could not drink.

And turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, that they could not drink;

45 H e sent among them swarms of flies which devoured them, And frogs which destroyed them.

He sent dog-flies among them, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them;

46 H e gave also their crops to the grasshopper And the product of their labor to the locust.

And he gave their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust;

47 H e destroyed their vines with hailstones And their sycamore trees with frost.

He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with hail-stones;

48 H e gave over their cattle also to the hailstones And their herds to bolts of lightning.

And he delivered up their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.

49 H e sent upon them His burning anger, Fury and indignation and trouble, A band of destroying angels.

He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and distress,—a mission of angels of woes.

50 H e leveled a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, But gave over their life to the plague,

He made a way for his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

51 A nd smote all the firstborn in Egypt, The first issue of their virility in the tents of Ham.

And he smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the first-fruits of their vigour in the tents of Ham.

52 B ut He led forth His own people like sheep And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;

And he made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock;

53 H e led them safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea engulfed their enemies.

And he led them safely, so that they were without fear; and the sea covered their enemies.

54 S o He brought them to His holy land, To this hill country which His right hand had gained.

And he brought them to his holy border, this mountain, which his right hand purchased;

55 H e also drove out the nations before them And apportioned them for an inheritance by measurement, And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.

And he drove out the nations before them, and allotted them for an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

56 Y et they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God And did not keep His testimonies,

But they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, and kept not his testimonies,

57 B ut turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers; They turned aside like a treacherous bow.

And they drew back and dealt treacherously like their fathers: they turned like a deceitful bow.

58 F or they provoked Him with their high places And aroused His jealousy with their graven images.

And they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

59 W hen God heard, He was filled with wrath And greatly abhorred Israel;

God heard, and was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

60 S o that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh, The tent which He had pitched among men,

And he forsook the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent where he had dwelt among men,

61 A nd gave up His strength to captivity And His glory into the hand of the adversary.

And gave his strength into captivity, and his glory into the hand of the oppressor;

62 H e also delivered His people to the sword, And was filled with wrath at His inheritance.

And delivered up his people unto the sword, and was very wroth with his inheritance:

63 F ire devoured His young men, And His virgins had no wedding songs.

The fire consumed their young men, and their maidens were not praised in song;

64 H is priests fell by the sword, And His widows could not weep.

Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.

65 T hen the Lord awoke as if from sleep, Like a warrior overcome by wine.

Then the Lord awoke as one out of sleep, like a mighty man that shouteth aloud by reason of wine;

66 H e drove His adversaries backward; He put on them an everlasting reproach.

And he smote his adversaries in the hinder part, and put them to everlasting reproach.

67 H e also rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,

And he rejected the tent of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim,

68 B ut chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.

But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved;

69 A nd He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has founded forever.

And he built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he hath founded for ever.

70 H e also chose David His servant And took him from the sheepfolds;

And he chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

71 F rom the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance.

From following the suckling-ewes, he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

72 S o he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them with his skillful hands.

And he fed them according to the integrity of his heart, and led them by the skilfulness of his hands.